Your outdoor landscaping makes your first impression, it creates a relaxation zone for your family, and it can boost your property values. Landscaping involves lots of different elements including concrete. Hi, my name is Diane, and I love landscaping. However, I also love patios, magical pathways, sports courts and other concrete creations. Want help creating your fabulous outdoor space? Want help with concrete ideas in particular? Then, I would love to be there for you. I have a keen eye for decoration and have helped a lot of friends create their outdoor areas. I hope my tips and ideas can help you.
An exposed aggregate concrete surface is an excellent way to transform your outdoor floors. With these surfaces, a contractor will mix crushed materials such as glass chips and gravel with wet material and then expose these materials through surface treatments. Exposed aggregate concrete is a great material that you can use to lay a non-skid surface around your swimming pool. In addition, you can use exposed aggregate concrete to make permanent boundaries in your patio or driveway. However, to continue benefiting from an exposed aggregate concrete surface, you need to have proper maintenance. The main element of this maintenance is sealing the surface, and here are things you need to know about that.
Why Should You Seal Your Exposed Aggregate Surface?
The seal compounds applied over your concrete surface are often water repellent. The compounds also act as a film over the surface. However, this film or barrier will start wearing away with time, and the rate at which the film wears will depend on the amount of traffic on the exposed aggregate surface. For this reason, it's important to reseal your surface periodically to keep water or moisture at bay. If water penetrates the surface, it can result in pop outs. Surfaces that are coloured integrally should also be resealed to maintain the vibrancy of the colour. While the amount of traffic on your surface will determine how frequently you should reseal it, have your exposed aggregate driveway or patio periodically resealed at least after two or three seasons. Also, remember to clean your surface before sealing it.
How Do You Clean Your Aggregate Surface?
Start by pressure washing or hosing the surface. You then have to etch the surface clean using muriatic acid. To do this, mix the acid with water, pour the solution over your surface, and then simply use a broom to thoroughly clean the surface. After working the surface with the broom, hose the acid off, keeping in mind not to leave any puddles that may be harmful to kids or pets. Preferably, pour some clean water over the surface to neutralise any remaining acidic solutions.
What Is The Perfect Sealer For Your Exposed Aggregate Surface?
There are several exposed aggregate sealers in the market. Some of these include acrylic- and silicone-based sealers. Regardless of the composition of these sealers, the appropriate sealer for your surface should be resistant to stains from pool chemicals and vehicle oils. It also has to be resistant to yellowing and should form a thick film when dry for maximum water resistance.
Share3 March 2016
